The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to electrical connectors that have circuit boards and that utilize differential pairs.
Electrical connectors are commonly used in telecommunication systems. The electrical connectors, such as modular jacks and modular plugs, may provide interfaces between successive runs of cable in such systems and between cables and electronic devices. The electrical connectors may include contacts that are arranged according to known industry standards, such as Electronics Industries Alliance/Telecommunications Industry Association (“EIA/TIA”)-568. The electrical connectors have traditionally been used for data transmission, wherein the performance of the electrical connectors may be negatively affected by, for example, near-end crosstalk (NeXT) and/or return loss.
To compensate for the crosstalk and/or to improve the return loss, known techniques have focused on arranging the contacts within the housing of the electrical connector to provide desired effects. In one known electrical connector, non-ohmic traces have been added and positioned next to the contacts on a circuit board within the housing. A non-ohmic trace represents a trace that is not electrically connected to the contacts or to ground. The non-ohmic trace may be used to reduce the effects of crosstalk by promoting capacitative and/or inductive energy coupling between the non-ohmic trace and adjacent contacts. In the known art, the non-ohmic traces are located laterally along the sides of the contact, thereby forming edge-to-edge coupling with the contacts. However, the known electrical connector has not been able to effectively use the non-ohmic trace to improve performance and, in fact, the non-ohmic traces have afforded a limited effect on the electrical performance.
Thus, there is a need for alternative means to improve the electrical performance of the connector, such as by reducing crosstalk and/or improving return loss. In particular, there is a need to improve or maximize the effectiveness of a non-ohmic trace that is positioned adjacent to electrical contacts.